Do you think any current author is of the same caliber as Dickens, Austen, Bronte, or any of the classic authors? If so, who, and why do you think so? If not, why not? What books from this era might be read 100 years from now?

First of all I will say that I think those authors, Dickens, Austen, Bronte lasted, not because what they wrote was mind-blowingly ground breaking, but instead because it was universal and therefore they were popular and have been able to maintain that popularity. While the struggles that humans deal with may change, the same basic ones remain the same, love, loss, etc. and these authors wrote about them and wrote about them in a way people enjoyed and so they still read.

So are there authors today that people will pick up over and over again? I think that Harper Lee's 'To Kill a Mockingbird' is one of those classics that even if you are forced to read it in school you love it so it must be good! Therefore I believe that will endure.

But Ms. Lee hasn't written a book since so if I had to stick to someone who was CURRENT and strictly that, I would have to say Nick Hornby. I think his books write about the same themes as Dickens, Bronte and Austen - love, loss, etc. but now his characters are trying to understand the modern world. He's books are incredibly relate-able. That's who I'd offer as someone whose works might survive.

5 comments:

This is a hard question because the criteria for what one calls a classic is different among people. Another reason its difficult is because it blurs the line between popularity and great literature. I do think certain current authors should and will be remembered, but does that mean they are classics? Hard question, indeed!

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I love to read fiction of any kind (and some non-fiction!). When not reading, I am working hard for my money, exploring the great city of San Francisco, and harassing my husband's cat. Feel free to email me at: amusedbybooks@gmail.com